Readers: Tigers hold loads of potential, but bullpen is a big concern

Yeah, the lineup is stacked. Yeah, the starting rotation is solid. Yeah, injuries and the bullpen are the biggest concerns.

And nobody in Cleveland, Chicago or Minnesota is going to cede anything.

Those are the sentiments of most fans as the Tigers enter a season that carries some mighty high hopes. And the News-Review sports reader panelists echo what many all over Michigan are saying.

"I'm excited, I'm really excited," said John Dallos, 67, of Levering, a lifelong Tiger fan and former Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park usher. "Everything seems to be fitting in just perfect. I would put our starting staff up against anybody in the majors right now.

"It's everything in the bullpen. It's the long relief and it's Jonsie (closer Todd Jones). He is a roller coaster, there's no question about it."

The Tigers open Monday at home against Kansas City and they will be without key relievers Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney. Closer Todd Jones, who will turn 40 in April, is healthy, but he has always been, as Dallos said, a roller coaster.

Andy Mayer of Charlevoix said he attended one Tiger game in 2007, and it ended with a vintage Jones ninth inning.

"It was 8-5 (to start the ninth) and it ended up 8-7, with the bases loaded," said Mayer, 27. "You can never leave the game early."

Dallos said he expects more of the same in 2008.

"I think we're going to win a lot of 12-10 games this year," he said. "I hate to say that, but I can just see that: We have a 10-4 lead and the bullpen comes in there and it's 10-9."

Panelists were unanimous in their assessment of the Tigers' lineup that it may be as strong as any in the game, and it could help them overcome bullpen deficiencies.

"We might be witness to a lot of 10-9 games this year," said Smokey Kiffer, 59, of Oden, who added that the bullpen has played an increasingly important role, throughout the game, over the years.

"I think it's all of baseball, they tend not to let their starting pitching go as long as maybe they should," Kiffer said, pointing to the 1968 Tigers when Denny McLain went 31-6 and completed 28 games. "We only had one complete game last year and that was because (Justin) Verlander had the no-hitter going."

Toby Jones, 45, of Harbor Springs said the acquistions of Miguel Cabrera, Jacque Jones and Dontrelle Willis make the Tigers the team to beat in the American League's Central Division.

"It's always great when a team that's already good strengthens itself in the offseason the way they did," said Jones, a Cleveland-area native who claims allegiance to both the Indians and Tigers. "The Indians didn't really do anything in the offseason to improve themselves so I think they'll have a much harder time (than the Tigers) in winning the division."

And, Jones added, the 2007 Indians are a perfect example of the fickle nature of baseball, particularly relief pitching.

"Nobody said anything about the Cleveland bullpen (before the season) and by the end of the season they were this lights-out great group of guys," he said. "That was just guys suddenly getting it together, I guess. That wasn't a change in personnel."

Cleveland, along with the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins and, of course, the Tigers, combine to make the AL Central "probably the best division in baseball," Kiffer said. "So it's not going to be an easy road."

And, should the bullpen prove to be the Tigers' Achilles heel as many believe it will, general mananger Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch most certainly will pull the trigger on a trade or two.

"Ilitch has shown a willingness to spend, so maybe he'll go out and get (help)," Kiffer said.

Dennis Kusina, 58, of Charlevoix likened the excitement about the Tigers to that surrounding some of the best teams in club history.

"I remember '68 well," said Kusina, a native of suburban Detroit, who said that World Series championship team was propelled by a loss in the final game of the '67 season. "They were playing a doubleheader and had to win both from the California Angels."

Had the Tigers beaten the Angels in both games, they would have forced a one-game playoff with Boston for the American League pennant. But an 8-5 loss in the nightcap left the Tigers a game behind the Red Sox in the final standings.

"They knew coming up the next year, 'Hey, we can do it,' and they came," Kusina said. "I remember '84 too when they came out of the box (35-5) and there was no stopping them. I feel the same way about this team."

But, Kusina said, staying healthy is crucial.

"They look good on paper and they have to come through in the clutch and the major thing is the injuries," he said. "If they can stay away from the injuries and keep everybody healthy, they've got as good a shot as anybody."